Figurine recognizable by having illuminated face

ABSTRACT

A decorative object in the general form of a figurine having a body portion made of opaque metallic sheet and a head, including a face portion made of a transparent material such as a transparent plastic which permits passage of light therethrough. The figurine is decorated by a network of lights installed at the edges of the body of the figurine and rear of the face portion. In the dark the nature of the figurine is recognizable from its illuminated head/face portion even if the body portion is not illuminated.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to decorative art objects and is particularly related to the use of figurines as art objects in the dark. More particularly, this invention relates to figurines of various types which are used in the dark and which are recognizable by their illuminated faces and/or heads.

BACKGROUND OF INVENTION

Illuminated art objects of various forms have been widely used for decorative purposes. Effective and proper illumination is necessary for recognizing objects in the dark. Several illuminated decorative art forms are described in the prior art patents and publications. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,534,315 issued Jul. 19, 1996 to Donald H. White discloses decorative art forms structure to hold a number of lights positioned to light the profile or perimeter of the objects.

U.S. Pat. No. 7,086,770 B2 issued Aug. 8, 2006 to Robert Tell discloses an apparatus and a method of illumination to produce an animation effect.

In order to recognize the forms of the objects by the prior art and methods, it is necessary to adequately illuminate the perimeter of the object to define its contour edges. The provision of adequate illumination is costly and it is often difficult to assemble and disassemble the lighting system.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an art object in the form of a figurine having an opaque body portion and a transparent face portion, wherein, when the face of the figurine body is illuminated in the dark, the figurine is recognizable without illuminating the body of the figurine.

The foregoing and other objects of this invention will be appreciated from the ensuing detailed description and the drawings which form parts of this application.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the drawings, wherein like reference numerals designate like parts:

FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of a figurine in the likeness of a snowman;

FIG. 2 is a rear elevational view of the figurine in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a rear enlarged view of the face of the figurine with its associated lighting for illumination; and

FIG. 4 is a view, partly perspective of each individual light bulb in a socket with an integral clip for mounting a string of lights to the edges of the figurine.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In accordance with the present invention, art objects in the general form of figurines are provided for decoration purpose in the dark. The figurine has a main body including a head portion having a face portion and a rear portion. Except for the head and face portions, the figurine body is made of an opaque metal sheet which may be rigid or semi-rigid, and the face is formed of a transparent material such as a suitable transparent plastic which permits passage of light therethrough. The body of the figurine is defined by peripheral edges of finite thickness for installing a network of lights which comprises a plurality of light bulbs secured in a socket with the light bulbs connected in series by insulated electric wires which electronically connect each bulb of a socket to the next bulb of the next socket, in series. Each socket has a laterally projecting clip which is securely mounted at the edges of the figurine body and at the rear of the face portion. Thus, when the figurine is illuminated in the dark, only the face portion will be illuminated by the passage of light through its transparent face portion. Therefore, even when the figurine body is in the dark, it is recognizable because of its illuminated face.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring to FIG. 1 there is shown a figurine in the form of a snowman designated by reference numeral 11 having a body portion 13, hands 15A,15B, legs 17A,17B, feet 19A,19B turned to the sides for effect. A pair of spaced apart parallel supporting rods 21A,21B, each having a sharp tapered lower end 23A,23B are attached at their upper ends to the bottom of the feet and secured to the ground or to a flat surface (not shown) by inserting the tapered ends 23A,23B therethrough. The figurine 11 is shown holding a candy stick 25 by its right hand 15A, a present package 16, a fancy scarf 27 wrapped around the neck 29 of the figurine, and a hat 31 is placed on the head 33 of the figurine with the face portion 35 visibly exposed as hereinafter explained.

Except for its face 35 the rest of the figurine is conveniently made of an opaque flexible, semi-flexible or rigid material, preferably metal. However, the face portion 35 is made of a transparent material such as a transparent plastic known in the art. The figurine 11 is illuminated by a string of lights consisting of the light bulbs 37, each bulb 37 being securely retained in a socket 39 and electrically connected to each other by insulated electrically conductive wire 41 which is connected a source of electrical power (not shown).

As shown in FIG. 4, each socket 39 has a side clip 43 attached to its outer surface, or integrally formed with the socket. Each clip 43 has two prongs 45,45 adapted to be mounted on the edges of the figurine and securely fastened thereto to provide the required illumination.

The positions of the light bulbs in the face 35 of the figurine are reversed in that the light bulbs are secured at the rear 35A of the face portion 35. Because the face of the figurine is made of a transparent plastic, light from the bulbs 37 illuminate the face of the figurine. Thus, in the dark, the figurine will be recognizable from its illuminated face portion even when the figurine body is not illuminated.

As it can be appreciated from the foregoing description and the drawings, the figurine (body, legs and hands) may be illuminated by the series of light bulbs secured to the peripheral edges of the body portion, without illuminating the face portion. In order to illuminate the face portion of the figurine, the light bulbs are strung behind the face (see FIG. 3) which, because it is transparent, will illuminate the face so that it is recognizable when facing the figurine even if the rest of the figurine is not illuminated.

It is obvious from the foregoing description that other decorative figurines may be illuminated in the dark as described herein. In addition, some changes and modifications may be made which are supported by the detailed description and drawings herein which are nevertheless within the scope of the present invention. 

1. A decorative object in the general form of a figurine, said figurine having a main body including a head portion having a face portion and a rear portion, said main body being made of metallic sheet of finite thickness and defined by peripheral edges, wherein said metallic sheet of said body being opaque to light and said face portion being made of a transparent plastic to permit passage of light therethrough, a network of lights defined by a plurality of spaced apart light elements, each light element comprising a socket, a light bulb secured in said socket, said light elements being connected in series by insulated electrically conductive wires, and wherein said light elements are secured at the peripheral edges of said body and behind said head portion such that when said light bulbs are illuminated said face portion is illuminated thereby recognizing the figurine.
 2. A decorative object as in claim 1 wherein each socket has an outer surface and a clip attached to said outer surface for securing the light elements to the peripheral edges of said body and the rear of said head portion to illuminate said face portion. 